The city’s Design Review Committee unanimously voted on Oct. 4 to give

St. Norbert Parish School will get another year to remodel the exterior of two buildings at 300 E. Taft Ave. because the economic downturn’s effect on the school’s finances.

The school wants to add new signs, stucco and light fixtures. It wants the northern face of the building to match the appearance of the existing ministry center and the family and youth center, according to public documents.

The committee made its decision on Oct. 4.

“Due to the current economic condition at St. Norbert and other parishes, we simply lack the needed funding to proceed with the project at this time,” St. Norbert’s business manager Maria Martinez wrote in a letter to the Planning Department.

Martinez declined to comment for this article other then that the school was pleased that it received the extension.

The two buildings that will be remodeled hold classrooms, bathrooms, the library, offices, and reception rooms, according to public documents.

Planning Manager Leslie Aranda Roseberry spoke at the committee meeting about an ordinance being recommended to the city council by planning commission that would increase extensions for projects like St. Norbert from one year to three years.

“This is because of the economy and the difficulty and putting their finance packages together,” she said.

The City Council likely would vote on this ordinance at the very latest by Nov. 24, said city spokesman Paul Sitkoff. If the ordinance is approved, it would be in effect until 2013 because the city expects the economy to have somewhat recovered by then, he said.

Commissioner Joe Woollett believes that such an extension would give projects more time to be completed so they don’t have to go through the process of getting an extension again, he said.

“They have less money coming in, so it just makes sense to give them more time,” Woollett said.

– Daniel Langhorne

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